We just got an Easter card in the mail which reminded me that I hadn't posted any pictures from Easter yet. It was a full and fun week!
Palm Sunday was part of the weekend that we took care of the Webber kids while their folks were away. Let me tell ya, 3 Horn kids + 4 Webber kids = a house full of energy! But it was great. Everyone listened well and helped out and we didn't have a single incident of drama or trauma. If that's not a sign of the grace of God, I don't know what is!
Kai and Olive are best friends and are also super creative and imaginative. I love this duo. On this particular day they built a bunk bed outside with whatever materials they could find. They even found big empty rice sacks to use as blankets. Who doesn't love a pretend outdoor sleepover?
The creativity and imagination continued and spread when Kai set up a magic show in the living room. Everyone joined in, either taking turns doing their own magic trick or just being enthusiastic audience members. Note: every magic trick can be successful when you ask the audience to close their eyes first!
On Palm Sunday we opted to do Home Church instead of managing seven kids by ourselves at church. It was great to read Scripture and sing and pray together. Then we walked across the yard to pick palm branches to decorate our porch. I love that we can do that every year.
Our friend Elena grew up making palm crosses with her family every year, so she offered to teach the kids how to make them. Can I just say how much I appreciate people who look for ways to pour into our kids? I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating. It's no small deal. This is a perfect example. Elena wanted to have all the MKs over for this - and I mean she wanted to. Not to mention the movie nights and game afternoons she and other missionaries host for our kiddos. It is such a gift and a blessing, especially because we're so far from our families. These people are like family to us and they fill a need for our kids. We are so grateful!
Easter was wonderful. First of all, it was the first Easter in which the boys didn't wake us up at the crack of dawn, which felt like a Resurrection miracle! It's kind of fantastic to be in a phase of life when there's a chance of sleeping in sometimes. There is light at the end of the tunnel!
We had small Easter baskets/bags for the boys. Someone who traveled here from America toted a few treats over for the boys which made the morning extra special. The best part of the morning, though, was gifting Asa with a new Bible - his first full Bible now that he's a reading machine. He's been jealousy watching big brothers read Scripture and looking up verses on their own, none of which he could fully do with a children's Bible. So this was a very exciting gift!
Church on Easter Sunday was a beautiful celebration and we are thankful for the PCEA Chogoria "town church" we're a part of.
After church we enjoyed the annual Easter egg hunt for the MKs. It's a simple thing that keeps them tied to American culture a bit.
A couple of Jackson's chameleons even made an appearance during the Easter egg hunt. (Look closely at the second photo: he's walking across the wire.)
Here are the current Chogoria missionary ladies. They're a great group of gals!
And here's the whole crew. Again, a great group of people!
And the grown-ups. It's rare to find us all together, so we capitalized on the photo opportunity.
And, in keeping with our tradition (as long as we have marshmallows on hand), we made Resurrection Rolls. They are the perfect Easter treat and such a memorable way to weave in the Resurrection story for the kids.
